Hitch assist system with hitch coupler identification feature and hitch coupler height estimation

ABSTRACT

A hitch assist system and method are provided herein. An imager is configured to capture one or more images containing a trailer having a hitch coupler. A touchscreen display is configured to show a view of the trailer and register one or more touch events thereon for specifying a location of the hitch coupler. A controller is configured to generate an icon at the specified location of the hitch coupler.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to vehicle backup assistsystems, and more particularly, to vehicle backup assist systems thatfacilitate the hitching of a vehicle to a trailer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Reversing a vehicle toward a trailer in order to attach a tow hitch to ahitch coupler can be challenging for many drivers, particularly thosewho are unfamiliar with trailers and the hitching process in general.Accordingly, there is a need for a system that assists a driver innavigating a vehicle toward the trailer such that a hitch connection canbe made therebetween. The present disclosure is intended to satisfy thisneed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a hitch assistsystem of a vehicle is provided. An imager is configured to capture oneor more images containing a trailer having a hitch coupler. Atouchscreen display is configured to show a view of the trailer andregister one or more touch events thereon for specifying a location ofthe hitch coupler. A controller is configured to generate an icon at thespecified location of the hitch coupler.

Embodiments of the first aspect can include any one or a combination ofthe following features:

-   -   the controller instructs a user to position the vehicle such        that a dimension of the trailer occupies a predetermined        dimension of the display;    -   the predetermined dimension is represented by an overlay that is        generated on the display and corresponds to a minimum width of        the trailer;    -   the controller is further configured to detect the hitch coupler        and subsequently fit the icon to the detected hitch coupler such        that the icon and the detected hitch coupler coincide with one        another and have matching shapes;    -   the controller is further configured to increase a resolution in        an image patch containing the detected hitch coupler prior to        fitting the icon therewith;    -   the detected hitch coupler includes a coupler ball socket and        the icon is represented as a circle, and wherein the controller        fits the icon to the coupler ball socket by concentrically        aligning the circle to the coupler ball socket and adjusting a        radius of the circle to match a radius of the coupler ball        socket;    -   the one or more touch events includes touching the touchscreen        display at the location of the hitch coupler;    -   the controller generates the icon on the display and the one or        more touch events includes dragging the icon to the location of        the hitch coupler;    -   the icon is initially represented in a first color and is        subsequently represented in a second color that is different        than the first color once the icon is dragged to the specified        location of the hitch coupler; and    -   the view is a top-down view.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a hitch assistsystem of a vehicle is provided. An imager is configured to capture oneor more images containing a trailer having a hitch coupler. Atouchscreen display is configured to show a view of the trailer. Acontroller is configured to generate an icon on the display, the displayfurther configured to register one or more touch events thereon formoving the icon to a location specifying the hitch coupler.

Embodiments of the second aspect can include any one or a combination ofthe following features:

-   -   the controller is further configured to generate an overlay on        the display and instruct a user to position the vehicle such        that the trailer or portion thereof occupies the overlay;    -   the overlay corresponds to a tongue portion of the trailer;    -   the controller is further configured to detect the hitch coupler        and subsequently fit the icon to the detected hitch coupler such        that the icon and the detected hitch coupler coincide with one        another and have matching shapes;    -   the controller is further configured to increase a resolution in        an image patch containing the detected hitch coupler prior to        fitting the icon therewith;    -   the detected hitch coupler includes a coupler ball socket and        the icon is represented as a circle, and wherein the controller        fits the icon to the coupler ball socket by concentrically        aligning the circle to the coupler ball socket and adjusting a        radius of the circle to match a radius of the coupler ball        socket; and    -   the icon is initially represented in a first color and is        subsequently represented in a second color that is different        than the first color once the icon is moved to the specified        location of the hitch coupler.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a method ofidentifying a hitch coupler of a trailer is provided and includes thesteps of: capturing one or more images of the hitch coupler; showing aview of the trailer on a display configured to register one or moretouch events thereon for specifying a location of the hitch coupler; andgenerating an icon at the specified location of the hitch coupler.

Embodiments of the third aspect can include any one or a combination ofthe following features:

-   -   the step of detecting the hitch coupler and subsequently fitting        the icon to the detected hitch coupler such that the icon and        the detected hitch coupler coincide with one another and have        matching shapes; and    -   the view is a top-down view and further comprising the step of        increasing a resolution in an image patch containing the        detected hitch coupler prior to fitting the icon therewith.

These and other aspects, objects, and features of the present inventionwill be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art uponstudying the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a vehicle and a trailer, the vehiclebeing equipped with a hitch assist system according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating certain components of the hitchassist system;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method of identifying a hitch coupleraccording to one embodiment;

FIG. 4 represents an image captured shown on a display of the vehicleand containing the hitch coupler embodied as a coupler ball socket;

FIG. 5 shows an overlay generated on the display and embodied as a boxcentered on the display and corresponding to a minimum width of thetrailer;

FIG. 6 shows the width of the trailer occupying the overlay;

FIG. 7 shows a top-down view generated on the display and containing thecoupler ball socket;

FIG. 8 shows an image patch having increased resolution and containingthe coupler ball socket;

FIG. 9 illustrates a touch event being performed on the display tospecify a location of the coupler ball socket and an icon beinggenerated at the specified location;

FIG. 10 shows the icon being fitted to the coupler ball socket;

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of a method for identifying a hitch coupleraccording to another embodiment;

FIG. 12 shows an icon being generated on the display at a predeterminedor arbitrary location prior to a touch event being performed;

FIG. 13 illustrates subsequent steps performed in continuation of themethods outlined in FIGS. 3 and 11;

FIG. 14 illustrates a pin-hole camera model associated with an imager ofthe hitch assist system; and

FIG. 15 illustrates variables for estimating a trailer height and theirgeometric relationship with respect to the vehicle and the trailer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosedherein.

However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments aremerely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various andalternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to a detailed designand some schematics may be exaggerated or minimized to show functionoverview. Therefore, specific structural and functional detailsdisclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as arepresentative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variouslyemploy the present invention.

As used herein, the term “and/or,” when used in a list of two or moreitems, means that any one of the listed items can be employed by itself,or any combination of two or more of the listed items can be employed.For example, if a composition is described as containing components A,B, and/or C, the composition can contain A alone; B alone; C alone; Aand B in combination; A and C in combination; B and C in combination; orA, B, and C in combination.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 10 generally designates ahitch assist system for hitching a vehicle 12 to a trailer 14. As shownin FIG. 1, the vehicle 12 is exemplarily embodied as a pickup truckhaving a truck bed 16 that is accessible via a fold down tailgate 18.The vehicle 12 also includes a tow hitch in the form of a hitch ball 22extending from a drawbar 24 that is coupled to the rear of the vehicle12. The hitch ball 22 is configured to be received by a hitch coupler inthe form of a coupler ball socket 26 that is provided at a terminal endof a trailer tongue 28. The trailer 14 is exemplarily embodied as asingle axle trailer having a box frame 30 with an enclosed cargo area 32from which the tongue 28 extends longitudinally.

The system 10 includes a controller 38 in communication with an imager40 located at the rear of the vehicle 12. The imager 40 may be centrallylocated at an upper region of the tailgate 18 such that the imager 40 iselevated relative to the drawbar 24 and the hitch ball 22. The imager 40has a field of view 42 located and oriented to capture one or moreimages of a rear-vehicle scene that generally includes the hitch ball22, among other things. Images captured by the imager 40 may beprocessed by the controller 38 to identify a hitch coupler such as thecoupler ball socket 26.

In addition to communicating with the imager 40, the controller 38 maycommunicate with a number of proximity sensors 44 exemplarily shown asultrasonic sensors spaced across a lower region of the vehicle tailgate18 and configured to detect the proximity or distance of objects locatedrearward of the vehicle 12. With reference to the embodiment of thesystem 10 shown in FIG. 2, additional vehicle-related information may beprovided to the controller 38 by a positioning device 46, such as aglobal positioning system (GPS) located on the vehicle 12 and/or thetrailer 14. Additionally, the controller 38 may communicate with aninertial system 47 including one or more gyroscopes 48 andaccelerometers 49 to measure the position, orientation, direction,and/or speed of the vehicle 12.

To enable autonomous or semi-autonomous control of the vehicle 12, thecontroller 38 of system 10 may be further configured to communicate witha variety of vehicle equipment. According to one embodiment, thecontroller 38 of the system 10 may control a power assist steeringsystem 52 of the vehicle 12 to operate the steered wheels 53 of thevehicle 12 while the vehicle 12 is reversed toward the trailer 14 alonga vehicle backup path. The power assist steering system 52 may be anelectric power-assisted steering (EPAS) system that includes an electricsteering motor 54 for turning the steered wheels 53 to a steering anglebased on a steering command generated by the controller 38, whereby thesteering angle may be sensed by a steering angle sensor 56 of the powerassist steering system 52 and provided to the controller 38. Asdescribed herein, the steering command may be provided for autonomouslysteering the vehicle 12 during a backup maneuver and may alternativelybe provided manually via a rotational position (e.g., a steering wheelangle) of a steering wheel 58 or a steering input device 60, which maybe provided to enable a driver to control or otherwise modify thedesired curvature of the backing path of vehicle 12. The steering inputdevice 60 may be communicatively coupled to the controller 38 in a wiredor wireless manner and provides the controller 38 with informationdefining the desired curvature of the backing path of the vehicle 12. Inresponse, the controller 38 processes the information and generatescorresponding steering commands that are supplied to the power assiststeering system 52 of the vehicle 12. In one embodiment, the steeringinput device 60 includes a rotatable knob 62 operable between a numberof rotated positions that each provides an incremental change to thedesired curvature of the backing path of the vehicle 12.

In some embodiments, the steering wheel 58 of the vehicle 12 may bemechanically coupled with the steered wheels 53 of the vehicle 12, suchthat the steering wheel 58 moves in concert with steered wheels 53 viaan internal torque, thereby preventing manual intervention with thesteering wheel 58 during autonomous steering of the vehicle 12. In suchinstances, the power assist steering system 52 may include a torquesensor 64 that senses torque (e.g., gripping and/or turning) on thesteering wheel 58 that is not expected from autonomous control of thesteering wheel 58 and therefore is indicative of manual intervention bythe driver. In some embodiments, external torque applied to the steeringwheel 58 may serve as a signal to the controller 38 that the driver hastaken manual control and for the system 10 to discontinue autonomoussteering functionality.

The controller 38 of the system 10 may also communicate with a vehiclebrake control system 66 of the vehicle 12 to receive vehicle speedinformation such as individual wheel speeds of the vehicle 12.Additionally or alternatively, vehicle speed information may be providedto the controller 38 by a powertrain control system 68 and/or a vehiclespeed sensor 70, among other conceivable means. In some embodiments, thecontroller 38 may provide braking commands to the vehicle brake controlsystem 66, thereby allowing the system 10 to regulate the speed of thevehicle 12 during a backup maneuver of the vehicle 12. It should beappreciated that the controller 38 may additionally or alternativelyregulate the speed of the vehicle 12 via interaction with the powertraincontrol system 68.

Through interaction with the power assist steering system 52, thevehicle brake control system 66, and/or the powertrain control system 68of the vehicle 12, the potential for unacceptable backup conditions canbe reduced when the vehicle 12 is backing toward the trailer 14.Examples of unacceptable backup conditions include, but are not limitedto, a vehicle over-speed condition, sensor failure, and the like. Insuch circumstances, the driver may be unaware of the failure until theunacceptable backup condition is imminent or already happening.Therefore, it is disclosed herein that the controller 38 of the system10 can generate an alert signal corresponding to a notification of anactual, impending, and/or anticipated unacceptable backup condition, andprior to driver intervention, generate a counter measure to prevent suchan unacceptable backup condition.

According to one embodiment, the controller 38 may communicate with oneor more devices, including a vehicle alert system 72, which may promptvisual, auditory, and tactile warnings. For instance, vehicle brakelights 74 and vehicle emergency flashers may provide a visual alert anda vehicle horn 76 and/or speaker 78 may provide an audible alert.Additionally, the controller 38 and/or vehicle alert system 72 maycommunicate with a human machine interface (HMI) 80 of the vehicle 12.The HMI 80 may include a touchscreen display 84 such as a center-stackmounted navigation or entertainment display capable of displaying imagesindicating the alert. Such an embodiment may be desirable to notify thedriver of the vehicle 12 that an unacceptable backup condition ispresent.

The controller 38 is configured with a microprocessor 85 and/or otheranalog and/or digital circuitry for processing one or more logicroutines stored in a memory 86. The logic routines may include one ormore operating routines 88. Information from the imager 40 or othercomponents of the system 10 can be supplied to the controller 38 via acommunication network of the vehicle 12, which can include a controllerarea network (CAN), a local interconnect network (LIN), or otherconventional protocols used in the automotive industry. It should beappreciated that the controller 38 may be a stand-alone dedicatedcontroller or may be a shared controller integrated with the imager 40or other component of the system 10 in addition to any other conceivableonboard or off-board vehicle control systems.

Referring to FIG. 3, a method of identifying a hitch coupler such as thecoupler ball socket 26 is shown and is exemplarily embodied as one ofthe operating routines 88 of the controller 38. At step S1, thecontroller 38 instructs a driver of the vehicle 12 to position thevehicle 12 such that the front of the trailer 14 is in view of theimager 40. Images captured by the imager 40 may be shown on the display84 to assist the driver in positioning the vehicle 12 relative to thetrailer 14. For example, FIG. 4 shows an image 90 captured by the imager40. The image 90 is shown on the display 84 and contains the front ofthe trailer 14 including the hitch coupler, which is shown as couplerball socket 26.

At step S2, the controller 38 may further instruct a user, typically thedriver, to position the vehicle 12 such that a dimension of the trailer14 occupies a predetermined dimension of the display 84. In oneembodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the predetermined dimension isrepresented by an overlay 92 generated on the display 84 by thecontroller 38. The overlay 92 may be embodied as a box centered on thedisplay 84 and corresponds to a minimum width of the trailer 14. Thesize of the overlay 92 may be determined to facilitate identification ofthe coupler ball socket 26. As shown in FIG. 5, the width of the trailer14, shown as width W, is too small, or in other words, fails to occupythe overlay 92. In such a scenario, the controller 38 instructs thedriver to further position the vehicle 12 such that the width W of thetrailer 14 occupies the overlay 92, as is shown in FIG. 6. For purposesof clarity, the environment surrounding the trailer 14 has been omittedin FIGS. 4 and 5.

Once the width W of the trailer 14 occupies the overlay 92, thecontroller 38, at step S3, generates a top-down view 94 on the display84, as shown in FIG. 7. The top-down view 94 generally contains thetrailer 14 or portions thereof, namely the coupler ball socket 26. Atstep S4, the controller 38 processes the captured images to detect alocation of the coupler ball socket 26 and/or other trailer structuressuch as, but not limited to, the tongue 28. To detect the coupler ballsocket 26 or other trailer structure, the controller 38 may employ anyconventional technique such as pattern recognition or pattern matching.Once the coupler ball socket 26 or other trailer structure isidentified, the controller 38 instructs the driver to stop the vehicle12 at step S5 and increases a resolution in an image patch containingthe detected coupler ball socket 26 or other trailer structure at stepS6. For example, FIG. 8 shows an image patch 96 with increasedresolution and containing the coupler ball socket 26. The image patch 96may be derived from multiple image frames and is shown on the display84.

Next, at step S7, the user is instructed to perform one or more touchevents on the image patch 96 to specify a location of the coupler ballsocket 26. As exemplarily shown in FIG. 9, the one or more touch eventsinclude physically touching the display 84 with a finger 97. In theillustrated example, the finger 97 touches the display 84 at point P,which is slightly offset from a center C of the coupler ball socket 26.The display 84 is configured to register the one or more touch eventsand the controller 38 is configured to generate an icon 98 at thespecified location of the coupler ball socket 26 at step S8.

As shown in FIG. 10, the controller 38 may fit the icon 98 to thedetected coupler ball socket 26 such that the icon 98 and the detectedcoupler ball socket 26 coincide with one another and have matchingshapes. In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 9 and 10, the icon 98 isrepresented as a circle and the controller 38 fits the icon 98 to thecoupler ball socket 26 by concentrically aligning the circle to thecoupler ball socket 26 and adjusting a radius of the circle to match aradius of the coupler ball socket 26. For purposes of clarity, a singleradius 100 is shown in FIG. 10 and is common to both the icon 98 and thedetected coupler ball socket 26. It is contemplated that the icon 98 maybe expressed in a variety of colors such as, but not limited to, green.

Referring to FIG. 11, another method of identifying a hitch coupler suchas the coupler ball socket 26 is shown and is exemplarily embodied asone of the operating routines 88 of the controller 38. At step 51, thecontroller 38 instructs a driver of the vehicle 12 to position thevehicle 12 such that the front of the trailer 14 is in view of theimager 40. At step S2, the controller 38 generates an overlay on thedisplay 84, and at step S3, instructs the user to position the vehicle12 such that the trailer 14 or portion thereof occupies the overlay. Theoverlay may correspond to overlay 92 disclosed previously herein.Alternatively, the overlay may correspond to another minimum dimensionof the trailer 14 such as, but not limited to, the tongue 28 of thetrailer or other portion thereof.

At step S4, the controller 38 generates a top-down view 102 on thedisplay 84, as shown in FIG. 12. In the top-down view, the controller 38generates an icon 104 on the display 84 at step S5. The icon 104 isrepresented as a circle having a first color such as red, for example.The icon 104 may be generated at a predetermined or arbitrary positionon the display 84. For purposes of illustration, the icon 104 isgenerally shown in an off-center position in FIG. 12. While the vehicle12 is stopped or is moving toward the trailer 14, the controller 38instructs the user to move the icon 104 to a location specifying thecoupler ball socket 26 at step S6. The user may move the icon 104 byperforming one or more touch events on the display 84. For example, theuser may simply touch the display 84 at the specified location, and inresponse, the controller 38 moves the icon 104 to the specifiedlocation. Alternatively, the user may move the icon 104 by dragging itwith his or her finger to the specified location. The icon 104 issubsequently expressed in a second color that is different than thefirst color once the icon is moved to the specified location of couplerball socket 26. For example, the icon 104 may be represented as a greencircle.

At step S7, the controller 38 fits the icon 104 to the coupler ballsocket 26 by concentrically aligning the circle to the coupler ballsocket 26 and adjusting a radius of the circle to match a radius of thecoupler ball socket 26, as described previously herein. In someembodiments, the one or more touch events and/or subsequent fitting ofthe circle may be performed on an image patch with increased resolutionand containing the coupler ball socket 26.

In continuation of either method provided above for identifying a hitchcoupler and referring to FIG. 13, it is further contemplated that thecontroller 38 may track an image patch (e.g., image patch 96; FIG. 8)around the user-specified location of the coupler ball socket 26 orother hitch coupler at step S1′. At step S2′, the controller 38 segmentsthe coupler ball socket 26 in the image patch. By performing imagesegmentation on the image patch, it is possible to identify the boundaryof the coupler ball socket 26 relative to ground. As such and describedin greater detail below, the controller 38 can estimate a trailer heightcorresponding to the height of the coupler ball socket 26 relative tothe ground and a horizontal distance between the imager 40 and thecoupler ball socket 26 at step S3′. At the conclusion of steps S1′-S3′,the vehicle 12 may be reversed toward the detected hitch coupler of thetrailer 14. As contemplated herein, the reversing of the vehicle 12toward the detected hitch coupler may occur autonomously orsemi-autonomously.

Referring to FIG. 14, a pin-hole camera model 106 is shown generallyrepresenting the imager 40 in relation to the trailer 14. As depicted, adenotes the pitch of the imager 40, f denotes the focal length of theimager 40, H denotes the height of the imager 40 relative to the ground,H_(hitch) denotes a trailer height shown to correspond to the height ofthe hitch coupler (e.g., coupler ball socket 26), and h is the distancebetween the imager 40 (e.g., the image center) and the tow hitch of thevehicle 12.

From the camera model 106, a horizontal distance D between the imager 40and the coupler ball socket 26 is provided by the following equation:

$\begin{matrix}{D = \frac{\left( {H - H_{hitch}} \right)}{\tan (\beta)}} & (1)\end{matrix}$

In equation 1, H is assumed known and β corresponds to the angle betweenan optical axis 108 of the imager 40 and a longitudinal axis 110 of thetrailer 14. As shown, the optical axis 108 of the imager intersects afocal point 112 of the imager and angle β is provided by the followingequation:

$\begin{matrix}{\beta = {\alpha + {\tan^{- 1}\left( \frac{h}{f} \right)}}} & (2)\end{matrix}$

In equation 2, a, h, and f are assumed known. Before equation 1 can besolved for the horizontal distance D, the trailer height H_(hitch) isdetermined by simultaneously solving a system of two equations:

$\begin{matrix}{{\overset{\_}{s}T} = {\frac{H - H_{hitch}}{\tan \; \gamma_{2}} - \frac{H - H_{hitch}}{\tan \; \gamma_{1}}}} & (3) \\{{\overset{\_}{s}T} = {\frac{H}{\tan \; \theta_{2}} - \frac{H}{\tan \; \theta_{1}}}} & (4)\end{matrix}$

In equations 3 and 4, s is an unknown scalar quantity, T is a scaledtranslation estimated from visual odometry or wheel count, for example,and angles γ₁, γ₂, θ₁, and θ₂ are derived from projective geometry ofthe imager 40 based on the pin-hole camera model 106 shown in FIG. 14.Accordingly, s and H_(hitch) can be determined by solving equations 3and 4. Once H_(hitch) is known, equation 1 can be solved to determinethe horizontal distance D. For purposes of illustration, the variablesassociated with equations 3 and 4 are depicted in FIG. 15. As shown,angles γ₁ and γ₂ correspond to the angles between field of viewcomponents 114 and 116 and the longitudinal axis 110 of the trailer 14whereas angles θ₁, and θ₂ correspond to the angles between field of viewcomponents 118 and 120 and the ground. It will be understood that fieldof view components 114-120 originate from the imager 40 and are selectedbased on projective geometry of the imager 40. Assuming the trailerheight H_(hitch) is higher than the height of the tow hitch (e.g., hitchball 22), the vehicle 12 can be successfully backed toward the trailer14 such that the hitch ball 22 is vertically aligned with the couplerball socket 26 of the trailer 14.

It is to be understood that variations and modifications can be made onthe aforementioned structure without departing from the concepts of thepresent invention, and further it is to be understood that such conceptsare intended to be covered by the following claims unless these claimsby their language expressly state otherwise.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hitch assist system of a vehicle, comprising:an imager configured to capture one or more images containing a trailerhaving a hitch coupler; a touchscreen display configured to show a viewof the trailer and register one or more touch events thereon forspecifying a location of the hitch coupler; and a controller configuredto generate an icon at the specified location of the hitch coupler. 2.The hitch assist system of claim 1, wherein the controller instructs auser to position the vehicle such that a dimension of the traileroccupies a predetermined dimension of the display.
 3. The hitch assistsystem of claim 2, wherein the predetermined dimension is represented byan overlay that is generated on the display and corresponds to a minimumwidth of the trailer.
 4. The hitch assist system of claim 1, wherein thecontroller is further configured to detect the hitch coupler andsubsequently fit the icon to the detected hitch coupler such that theicon and the detected hitch coupler coincide with one another and havematching shapes.
 5. The hitch assist system of claim 4, wherein thecontroller is further configured to increase a resolution in an imagepatch containing the detected hitch coupler prior to fitting the icontherewith.
 6. The hitch assist system of claim 4, wherein the detectedhitch coupler comprises a coupler ball socket and the icon isrepresented as a circle, and wherein the controller fits the icon to thecoupler ball socket by concentrically aligning the circle to the couplerball socket and adjusting a radius of the circle to match a radius ofthe coupler ball socket.
 7. The hitch assist system of claim 1, whereinthe one or more touch events comprises touching the touchscreen displayat the location of the hitch coupler.
 8. The hitch assist system ofclaim 1, wherein the controller generates the icon on the display andthe one or more touch events comprises dragging the icon to the locationof the hitch coupler.
 11. The hitch assist system of claim 8, whereinthe icon is initially represented in a first color and is subsequentlyrepresented in a second color that is different than the first coloronce the icon is dragged to the specified location of the hitch coupler.10. The hitch assist system of claim 1, wherein the view is a top-downview.
 11. A hitch assist system of a vehicle, comprising: an imagerconfigured to capture one or more images containing a trailer having ahitch coupler; a touchscreen display configured to show a view of thetrailer; and a controller configured to generate an icon on the display,the display further configured to register one or more touch eventsthereon for moving the icon to a location specifying the hitch coupler.12. The hitch assist system of claim 11, wherein the controller isfurther configured to generate an overlay on the display and instruct auser to position the vehicle such that the trailer or portion thereofoccupies the overlay.
 13. The hitch assist system of claim 12, whereinthe overlay corresponds to a tongue portion of the trailer.
 14. Thehitch assist system of claim 11, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to detect the hitch coupler and subsequently fit the icon tothe detected hitch coupler such that the icon and the detected hitchcoupler coincide with one another and have matching shapes.
 15. Thehitch assist system of claim 14, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to increase a resolution in an image patch containing thedetected hitch coupler prior to fitting the icon therewith.
 16. Thehitch assist system of claim 14, wherein the detected hitch couplercomprises a coupler ball socket and the icon is represented as a circle,and wherein the controller fits the icon to the coupler ball socket byconcentrically aligning the circle to the coupler ball socket andadjusting a radius of the circle to match a radius of the coupler ballsocket.
 17. The hitch assist system of claim 11, wherein the icon isinitially represented in a first color and is subsequently representedin a second color that is different than the first color once the iconis moved to the specified location of the hitch coupler.
 18. A method ofidentifying a hitch coupler of a trailer, comprising the steps of:capturing one or more images of the hitch coupler; showing a view of thetrailer on a display configured to register one or more touch eventsthereon for specifying a location of the hitch coupler; and generatingan icon at the specified location of the hitch coupler.
 19. The methodof claim 18, further comprising the step of detecting the hitch couplerand subsequently fitting the icon to the detected hitch coupler suchthat the icon and the detected hitch coupler coincide with one anotherand have matching shapes.
 20. The hitch assist system of claim 19,wherein the view is a top-down view and further comprising the step ofincreasing a resolution in an image patch containing the detected hitchcoupler prior to fitting the icon therewith.